


Mind Games

by sarinoxious



Series: JSE one shots [3]
Category: jacksepticeye
Genre: Gen, Hypnosis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarinoxious/pseuds/sarinoxious
Summary: Marvin makes a rash decision.
Series: JSE one shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1437169
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. A Deal with the Devil

This is probably his favourite spot in the city. High up, high above the masses, the little ants that make their way through the city streets, trickling in and out of busses and buildings. He leans back, humming softly as the sunlight hits his closed eyelids and warms his face. His legs are dangling off the edge, feet kicking into the air. He doesn’t have to hide, nobody ever looks up, not anymore.

His peaceful state is disturbed by something- someone removing the rays of sunlight from his face. He groans and opens his eyes slowly to see Marvin towering over him. He doesn’t know how he found him, or how got up here, and he doesn’t care enough to ask. The wind is softly tugging at his hair, and Jackie hides a grin when it turns, blowing his hair into his eyes and mouth instead.

“Stop that.”

A sigh, and the wind dies down. “Fiiine. What are you doing up here, Marvin?”

“I was looking everywhere for you. We got a lead.”

That catches Jackie’s attention, and he sits up, twisting to face the magician. “A lead? On-” He doesn’t finish the sentence, trusting that Marvin knows who he’s talking about.

“Yeah. It’s him, we’re sure of it. Now let's go before the trail grows cold.” Marvin is impatient, his foot tapping on the roof, his arms crossed, ready to go. This was the first lead in _months_ , and they were all getting rather desperate. Meanwhile, Jack was happily napping away in a hospital bed, none the wiser of the chaos the others had fallen into.

Jackie is on his feet in an instant, pulling his mask over his face and already tugging at the wind, ready to take off. “Where to?”

Marvin groans, placing a hand on Jackie’s bicep to keep him grounded. “No need for that, I’ll teleport us there. Ready?”

He locks his arm with Marvin, holding on tight. “Ready.”

Teleporting is one of those things he’ll never get used to. It twists and turns his stomach, disorients him until there’s no way of telling what’s up and what’s down. The only anchor is Marvin, who’s arm he clamps himself onto. He doesn’t know what would happen to him if he were to be separated from Marvin while in the midst of teleporting, but he does know that he doesn’t want to think about that possibility.

They land on gravel, and Jackie immediately scans the environment, looking for cover. They’re at an old warehouse by the docks, it’s seemingly abandoned. The warehouse is surrounded by a fence topped with barbed wire. He listens closely for the familiar hum of a power current, but hears nothing. No electricity. Good. 

The smell of the sea and dead fish is overwhelming, as is the consistent screaming of gulls. Jackie spots a truck, and tugs on Marvin’s arm, silently gesturing to it, before making a run for it, Marvin following suit.

“So what’s the plan? Is he in there?” Jackie asks, wide-eyed and ready for action.

“Yeah, but first, can I ask you something, Jackie?”

“Of course!” he replies, but his mind is distracted, making strategies, peering around the edge of the truck to take note of entrances and exits.

“Can you look at me for a second?” Marvin’s voice has changed, suddenly sweet and smooth as honey, but Jackie doesn’t even notice Marvin’s influence as his head turns to face him, the movement slow and mechanical.

Marvin leans in, gripping Jackie’s chin to ensure he doesn’t look away. "It’s tiring, isn’t it? Being in control, making choices, thinking for yourself. It’s so, so tiring. Let me do it instead. You’ll like it."

Jackie only nods, his eyes as dazed as his mind, where there’s merely room left for a pinch of betrayal and panic.

“That’s good. You’ll do as I say, okay, Jackie? Just will trust me with your life, and follow my orders. I will keep you safe. I’d never let anything bad ever happen to you. You know that, right?”

Another nod. As Marvin’s influence grows, the last remaining thoughts of panic and betrayal recede, allowing Marvin to take full control over Jackie’s mind. He pushes in some more thoughts, giving Jackie some time to adopt them as his own. _I will protect Marvin. I will obey Marvin’s commands. Marvin is in charge, what I want or think does not matter. I trust Marvin. Marvin will keep me safe from harm. I will not struggle against Marvin’s orders. I will not let any harm come to Marvin. I trust Marvin, I trust Marvin, I trust Marvin, I trust Marvin-_

Satisfied with his work, he stands up. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, Marvin.”

“Good! He’s expecting us. Follow me.”

Like a well-trained guard dog, Jackie follows in Marvin’s footsteps. Marvin does not seem to care about hiding or sneaking, he notices, but there’s no need to question him. Marvin knows what he’s doing. He trusts Marvin.

The magician reaches the chain-link fence and rattles it, the sound loud in the cold and quiet night, scaring even the gulls away. Again, Jackie does not panic. He trusts that Marvin has a plan, and luring the Glitch to them is probably part of that plan. It’s pretty clever, actually.

Within no time, a figure appears on the other side of the fence, stepping out of a flurry of bright colours and distorted reality. _Anti_. They’d found him! All thanks to Marvin!

Marvin gives Jackie a glance, and he understands the wordless order, his hands sliding to the batons at his side. Jackie never fought with lethal weapons. Killing was for villains, and he was the hero! He saves people, and lets the cops deal with the bad guys.

Anti smirks as he spots the relationship between the two. “In̢t͡ere̵sting…” He slowly steps closer to the fence, and Marvin raises his hands, magic swirling around them. Jackie copies his stance, raising his batons. “Wh̕a̶t̷'͢s͡ w͟r̷on̛g, ki̸tt̶en̡?̢ ͘D̢on̴'t yo͟ų ̨t̶r͞us͜t th͝e c̨įty'̵s͘ ͜f̛r͝i̶endli͟est͘ he͟ro͝ ̢t͠o ͢do ͟w͘hat h͡as to be don̸e? ̨Are͝ you ͜a҉fra̸i̷d he'll h̴old y̧o͟u b̛ac͝k̴?”

“Why don’t you come to our side of the fence, and get this over with?”

“Y̕o͟u̶'̕r̸e̷ n̶o̵ fu̕n,” the Glitch mumbles, and then he’s gone. Marvin turns, sensing the glitching behind him, and Jackie mindlessly copies, not a trace of worry or fear on his mind. Anti is focused on Jackie, stalking closer with a tilted head. “Very ̢wel͝l̴ d͢one̡,͢ ̕M̷arvi͜n.̷ ͠I'͜m i҉m̢pr͞e̕s͟sȩd̷.”

“Stay back!” Marvin warns, the magic around his hands flaring up. “We had a deal, Anti. I’ve got my end of the bargain right here, where’s yours?” 

Jackie briefly lets his mind wonder what deal Marvin could be referring to, what his end of the bargain could be before he corrects himself. _Trust Marvin, trust Marvin, trust Marvin._

“It͡'s̨ wai͝ting ̴fo̧r y̧ou͘ at ̧your h̛om̢e.” Anti smirks as he studies Marvin, who is biting his lip nervously. Does he trust the Glitch enough to make this deal?

Jackie wonders what’s taking so long, why are they not fighting yet? That is what they came here to do, right? Instead, they’re just staring at each other. “Jackie. Drop your batons.” Finally, an order. _TrustMarvintrustMarvintrustMarvintrustM-_ His hands relax and the batons fall, clattering down onto the gravel. 

“Walk towards Anti.” He can’t help a little fire of fear starting in his heart as he obeys, confidently stepping towards the Glitch, unarmed and defenceless. He comes to a stop, no more than an arms-length away from the Glitch. Neither make a move to attack.

“Look at me. Look me in the eyes.” He does, turning his back to the Glitch to face Marvin, who has tears streaming down his cheeks. Jackie doesn’t understand why. 

He doesn’t flinch as Anti’s hand grabs his neck, nor as his staticy voice brushes past his ear. “I̢'m waiting.͘.̛.͜”

Marvin’s voice cracks and breaks. “I’m so sorry, Jackie,” he whispers, too soft for Jackie to hear him. Then, louder, as he maintains eye contact - “You will protect Anti. You will obey Anti’s commands. Anti is in charge, what you want or think does not matter. You trust Anti. Anti will keep you safe from harm. You will not struggle against Anti’s orders. You will not let any harm come to Anti. You trust Anti, you trust Anti, you trust Anti, you trust Anti-”

 _I trust Anti, I trust Anti, I trust Anti, I trust Anti_.

“Ple͝a̡sure ̛do̶i҉ņg ̷b͝u͢siness ̵w͟it͠h͢ ҉you͠, k̷itte͜n̛.̵” A victorious grin adorns Anti’s face as he taunts the magician, remaining eye contact while he tests his newest plaything. “Ţur̶n a҉r̨ound͝,͡ pup̴.̡”

Pup? Is that him? Figuring he’s better safe than sorry, he turns, facing Anti. 

“G̢oo̴d͟, you'ŗe st̷ill͏ ̢somew҉ha͟t ̕i̧nte͘llig̛en͢t͟.͜” Anti doesn’t look at him, peering over Jackie’s shoulder instead, but the praise makes Jackie feel good nonetheless. “T͝el̛l̸ m̧e s͝omethin͠g͠, ̴p̴u̕p. ̸W͜ho͝ do you trus̕t͝?”

 _I trust Anti, I trust Anti, I trust Anti, I trust Anti_.

“I trust you, Anti.” What a weird question to ask him. Of course he trusts Anti.

“H̴m, ̕no͟, th͏at͡ wo̷n'̛t ͟d҉o̡. Can̢ you d̸o s͏omet͝h̴ing fo͠r͢ mȩ, pu̢p͠? Ca̶n y̨ou̕ a͘d͞r̶ess͞ m͞e a͞s M̨a̛ster̴?

“Of course, Master.”

Anti pinches his cheeks. “Y̕ou̢'r͜e͠ so ͢en̕de̸arin͠g͟ lik͢e thįs̡.̧”

In the background, Marvin’s sobs grow louder and louder, earning him a harsh stare from Anti. “Reg͞r͝et͝s̵ ͟alr̢e͠ady̶? Y̶ou d̵id t̷hi͝s, ̸ki͘t̷ten.͠ ̵T͞ha͟nk yo̕u for̡ ̸t̛h҉a͜t.”

He pulls Jackie close to his chest, hugging him, savouring the horrified look on Marvin’s face. “N͜ơw̢,̶ i̢t'̸s̨ ti͢me͜ for̴ ̛us to ͠go̡. I'̸ļl̨ ̷s̸e҉e ̡y҉ou ҉a͠round̛,̕ k͏it̨te͠n̨!”

And in a flash of colour and glitches, the two disappear, leaving Marvin to collapse on the gravel by an abandoned warehouse. “I’ll get you back,” he whispers to nobody but the sun. “It’s worth it. This deal was worth it. I’ll get you back.”


	2. Cerberus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie has adjusted to his new life, but that doesn't mean the other egos never stopped looking for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: extremely creepy/possessive/obsessive behaviour

Jackie is happy with Master. Jackie trusts Master. Master is always right. What Jackie wants and needs is not important, all that matters is Master.

When Master first brought Jackie home, he gave Jackie a gift. Something special for my little pup, he said. It was a beautiful collar. Or at least, Master said Jackie looked very good in it, so it must be beautiful. He has not seen himself in a mirror yet. The collar has something extra in it. Master says that it's a tracker, so that he always knows where Jackie is, no matter what. Anything to make his little pup feel safe.

Master would never hurt him on purpose. Sometimes he does by accident, sometimes he cuts Jackie’s skin open with a knife, or electrocutes him. But he always apologizes, dresses Jackie’s wounds and holds him close, ruffling his hair. Jackie likes it when Master ruffles his hair.

Jackie spends most of his time in a cage. A little cage against a wall. It’s for his own safety, Master says. It is to protect him from the intruders, bad people who want to hurt him and his Master. There is a ring with a leash on the wall, that Master can attach to Jackie’s collar. It’s for his own safety, he says, just in case he sleepwalks. Jackie doesn’t think he’s ever walked in his sleep, but better safe than sorry, right?

Master never calls Jackie by his name. He always calls him “pup”, or “plaything”, or “puppet”. These nicknames don’t bother Jackie. Master thinks they’re endearing, and that they suit Jackie. And Master is always right.

For two hours every day, Master lets Jackie out of his cage, so he can exercise. Jackie is a hero, after all, and Master wants him to stay in shape. So he runs and trains and practises his fighting skills. Master sometimes teaches him how to fight with new weapons, weapons Jackie has never used before. These weapons can be very dangerous, Master warns, so Jackie is never allowed to use them against Master. Only against the bad guys, who will break in and try to hurt Master.

Master sometimes asks him questions he can't answer. Questions about the kitten, the doctor, the father, the mute, the creator. Jackie doesn't know who these people are, and he nearly always has to cry. Jackie doesn't like it when he's not able to make Master happy. But Master pets him, and says that it's okay. Jackie still wishes he could answer Master’s questions. He spends many hours thinking long and hard about it, but that only gives him a headache.

Today, Master has a task for Jackie. Master needs him to hack into a phone, and send a text message. Jackie has always been very good at hacking, and it feels good to be useful to Master. Master is very pleased with Jackie’s work, so pleased that he is going to give Jackie a reward. A reward for being Master’s obedient little puppet. Jackie’s heart swells with joy and pride, he is so so happy that he is able to serve Master well.

“The reward, my dear puppet,” Master says, “is that we are going to go somewhere. Outside.” Jackie hasn’t been outside since he came home with Master. Master said that it was dangerous to go outside, that there were bad people outside that wanted to hurt him. He starts to panic, just a little bit, but Master reassures him. “It’s alright, pup, no need to be nervous. I will be with you the whole time. I would never let anyone hurt you.” He pulls Jackie in for a hug and cards his fingers through his hair, and Jackie relaxes. He trusts Master.

“But before we go outside, I have something for you, another gift. Something extra to keep you safe, just in case.” Master lets Jackie go, and a cloud of glitches shrouds his hands for a moment. They disappeared, and Master is holding a gift box. “Go on then, open up.” Jackie happily takes the box from Master. The last time Master had given him a gift, it was his collar, his beautiful collar that he loved so much. He wears it with pride, every day, and he would never take it off, even if Master said he could.

Jackie places the box on the ground and kneels down next to it. It’s big, way bigger than the box that held the collar. He tugs on the ribbon, untying it, and slowly lifts off the lid. Inside the box is something black, with bright green details. Fabric, he realises as he pulls it out. A suit! Identical to his old one, the red and blue one that Master had to throw away. But instead of red and blue, it’s jet black and toxic green. Jackie places the suit aside, reaching back into the box to find boots, gloves, and a beautiful green mask.

He wordlessly looks up at Master, his eyes sparkling with joy. “Go ahead, try it on.”

It fits perfectly. It’s comfortable and soft and warm, with padded areas to protect him from harm in fights, and has a neckline that makes it seem like Jackie’s collar isn’t there. He pivots in front of Master to show it the whole set off.

“And what do you say, pup?”

“Thank you, Master, for giving me this gift.”

Master snickers, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Very good, puppet. You’re an adorable little thing, and I am so happy that you’re mine.” He grabs Jackie’s arm, and before Jackie can react to the praise, glitches eat both of them up.

Jameson is woken up from his cat-nap on the couch by his buzzing phone. With his eyes half-open, he picks up the phone to find a text from Marvin, the content of which blows the remaining haze of sleep from his brain. He sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before reading the text again, making sure that he wasn’t just imagining things.

**I have a lead on Jackie. Meet me at the movie theatre ASAP - room 3**

Jameson slides off the couch, scrambling to find his shoes, jacket, and keys, and rushes out the door. The movie theatre isn’t far from his place - a five-minute walk, tops. He made it there in two.

It’s been three months. Three months since Jackie fought Anti and lost, three months since Marvin saw Anti take Jackie. Three months of complete radio silence, of frantic searches, three months of holding on to a slippery thing called hope.

Jameson sneaks into the cinema, finding room three empty. He’s the first one there, the other egos are probably still on their way. He hides between the seats, not wanting to be caught by cinema personnel, or, in a worst-case scenario, Anti himself.

After a few minutes in silence, Jameson reaches for his phone, to see if Henrik or Chase are on their way already, to ask if Marvin was almost there. Just as the screen lights up, he hears the door open and hurriedly shoves his phone back in his pocket. Peering over the seat’s edges, he tries to identify the newcomer, and his heart makes a leap in his chest. The newcomer…

The newcomer looks like Jackie.

He holds back a gasp as Jackie carefully shuts the door behind him, looking around the cinema room. He’s about to climb the steps when Jameson comes out of his hiding place.

“ _J-Jackie? Is that you?”_ he signs with shaking hands, hoping that the room is bright enough for Jackie to see it.

Jackie doesn’t respond.

“ _Jackie? It’s me, Jameson! Where- where have you been? Are you okay? Are you hurt?_ ” Jameson slowly approaches Jackie, trying to get a better look at him. But just as he does, the dimmed lights in the room flicker. He watches Jackie take on a defensive stance, before the lights go out, and static creeps up Jameson’s neck. Anti. He rapidly turns, carefully stepping backwards, further down, further towards Jackie, towards safety.

Two hands grab his shoulders harshly, and pull him backwards, dragging him towards the movie screen. He struggles to stay on his feet, Jackie seems to have no intention of slowing down or waiting for the gentleman to collect himself. He wants to sign to Jackie, ask him to slow down, but he’s thrown onto the floor, catching himself on his hands.

He turns, leaning back on his hands, expecting to see Jackie fighting off Anti. But Anti is nowhere to be seen.

With a whir, the projector in the back of the room turns on, and Jameson doesn’t have to see the movie screen to see which film is playing, the opening tunes are ingrained in his brain. It’s his film - a short movie he never could release, because Anti corrupted the footage.

A flash of light catches his eyes, and he redirects his attention towards Jackie. The hero, who looks more like a supervillain in the eerie light the projector casts on him. His beloved brother, looking down on him and lifting a knife in the air.

Jameson crawls back, his butt skidding over the floor as his feet slip on the worn carpet, unable to use his hands to sign, unable to tell Jackie to stop, please stop, Jackie, it’s me, it’s Jameson, I’m your brother, Jackie, please!

His back bumps into something - the wall which holds the movie screen - and he uses it to stand up, too terrified to run. He cannot tear his gaze away from Jackie, and it is not until now that he notices what Jackie is wearing. It’s his suit, his hero suit, but the familiar red and blue have been replaced by black and green. His baby blue eyes, usually friendly from behind his mask, are dimmed down to a grey tone, not a spark of recognition or happiness. He has the eyes of a predator, Jamie realises. A predator closing in on its prey.

Jameson cowers, his back against the movie screen, as he slowly disappears in Jackie’s shadow. His movie continues playing behind him, undisturbed by the scene Jameson finds himself in. He can tell by the music which part it’s at, and knows that the corrupted footage is about to come up.

And just as it does, two hands tear through the movie screen, grabbing Jameson from behind, and dragging him backwards. His mouth opens in a silent scream as he kicks and twist, he reaches up to claw at the hands that took ahold of him, desperately trying to free himself. But it is futile, and with Jackie starting to slash at his legs with the knife, he stops struggling against the hands around his shoulders, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Marvin or Henrik or Chase arrived to save him.

He looks up, trying to identify the person behind him, and for the second time that day, Jameson’s hope is crushed under the heel of Anti’s boot. Static fizzles from Anti’s hands, seeping into his shoulders, and his arms fall limp by his sides, immobilized.

Jackie steps through the torn movie screen, his silhouette lit up by the movie projector, and… freezes.

“You’ve done well, my pet.” The Glitch’s voice rings out, and the puzzle pieces finally fit together in Jameson’s head as he watches Jackie smile in response, happy as a dog with his praise.

“Now, what do you say, pup. Should we take your new toy home?”

“New toy?” Jackie asks, his eyes flicking between Jameson and Anti. “Another gift, Master?”

And with that, Jameson’s heart breaks. His legs buckle underneath him, and he falls to his knees, his chest heaving as a silent sob forces its way out of his throat, tears like little diamonds trickling from his eyes. He can hear Anti’s voice replying to Jackie, but the words don’t sink in. The movie ends, and Jameson is hauled to his feet, before glitches consume the trio, leaving no trace of their presence, aside from a torn movie screen and an old film that never made its way to the big screens.

They thought that finding Jackie dead was the worst-case scenario.

They were wrong.


End file.
